At least one dead in ongoing attack on Kabul charity

The attackers had taken hostages during Tuesday’s siege of the Pamlarena group’s compound, which lasted 11 hours.

In a statement to Al Jazeera late on Tuesday, the Taliban said its fighters had targeted a secret intelligence office of “invaders”, referring to foreign forces.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Militants stormed a building housing an global aid organization in Kabul, provoking an overnight firefight with security forces in which three gunmen were killed and six civilians were wounded, Afghan officials said Tuesday.

“At least 91 others were wounded”, said Wahidullah Majroh, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Health, adding that some were in critical condition.

In its statement, however, the Taliban said that five of its fighters were involved in the attack.

Afghan security forces ended an 11-hour standoff in central Kabul on Tuesday, killing the last gunman holding out after an attack that began when a vehicle bomber blew himself up in a prosperous business and residential area.

Afghanistan’s foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw.

A spokeswoman for Care based in the United Kingdom said that its compound was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.

It said its staff had been safely evacuated.

Sediqqi says the police believe it is one of the guest houses in the neighborhood, which houses foreigners and diplomats.

Amnesty International, the human-rights group, on Tuesday termed the attack a “war crime”. After that, three gunmen holed themselves up close to a government complex near the office of a charitable organization, Care International.

“The cardinal rule of global humanitarian law is that parties to an armed conflict must never deliberately attack civilians”.

Deputy Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said the second bombing was caused by a suicide attacker who struck the area of the first blast after security forces had gathered there.

Three senior police officers reported to be killed in the blasts that claimed more than 20 lives while left over 90 others wounded.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the incident and said Afghanistan’s enemies – an official terminology for Pakistan – have again showed that they were against Kabul’s development.

Taliban terrorists claimed responsibility for the first two bomb blasts Monday.

Further, the increasing attacks in Kabul represent a deteriorating security situation and will go a long way in undermining the ability of the Afghan government to guarantee safety in the eyes of the Afghan people.

Baghdad: A vehicle bomb exploded near a hospital in central Baghdad, killing at least seven people, police said.